By Patrick Connell
Legacy, an endowment, a bequest, a gift…
These are a few hallmarks of a good flight instructor. He or she endows upon their students a lifelong gift that will forever change them in ways that they had perhaps never imagined.
How, you may ask? First of all, you enable them to take command of the sky by changing them from a pedestrian to a competent and confident command pilot. Someone who has command of themselves and their aircraft and thus, the sky.
If you enjoy the challenge and thrill of flying, then you’ll also find a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction from being a CFI. There is an accumulative rush when you take a raw student pilot, like all of us were at one point, and transform them into the pilot they will be for the rest of their life!
From a personal perspective, being an aviation instructor pilot has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. Additionally, if this were not enough, being a CFI
is an excellent way to become even more competent and confident as a command pilot yourself. And for the professional aviation-minded pilot, it is an excellent means to develop and gain greater experience and become more marketable to the ranks of professional airline pilots.
This then leaves the choice of which flight school is right for you, and that is American Flyers. Why is American Flyers the premier choice for my aviation instructor training needs? The number one answer is that American Flyers boasts some of the most experienced CFI educators in the country.
My own personal experience consists of three decades of training pilots and instructors.
I have had the distinct privilege and pleasure of training thousands of flight instructors, many of them from the time they were student pilots. The FAA states there are over 466,000 pilots in the United States, and over 110,000 flight instructors. Of the latter, I have been involved in the training of about 3% of them. I only represent one of the many experienced educators on staff at American Flyers.
We have one of the highest and most consistent first-time pass rates on CFI practical tests in the United States. Averaging in the 90% range, these results are a tough act to follow by anyone’s standards. This is not a result of teaching the check ride, but rather, teaching the CFI applicant how to teach.
The structure of the program is such that every CFI applicant will have the opportunity
to teach numerous times from implementing the coaching received in class to our outstanding training publications. Additionally, you will fly throughout the program, practice teaching in the airplane with your instructor, and fine-tune both flying and teaching skills.
You will have unlimited use of our Frasca training devices, to further your procedural proficiency in both explaining and demonstrating flight skills. I am unaware of any other provider that affords you this cost-effective opportunity to practice your procedures and instrument flying skills together at no cost!
The CFI Academy is a 30 day, 8 hours a day course with comprehensive guidance on how to impart knowledge to your future students. It consists of a half-day of class and lecture and a half-day of what we refer to as “workshop.” This period is designed for you to practice teaching lessons every day with your class by providing the opportunity to present to others and receive constructive critique results in faster and more effective development as an instructor. You will learn from each other, support each other and be stronger and better than if you went your own way.
We will guide you towards a deeper grasp and understanding of the flight maneuvers and knowledge areas required to effectively start your career. Our ultimate goal is for you to graduate as an effective and knowledgeable instructor able to teach their students how to fly, as opposed to simply telling them how to fly.
All this and to top it off, you receive both the CFI-A and the CFI-I practical test endorsements in 30 days!
This is an aggressive course, and it requires on your part, hard work, dedication, and continuous immersion into the art and skill of teaching. There is no better way to leave your mark in the aviation industry than to train the future pilots of the world!